Box 1. Search Strategy of Electronic Database.

Search Strategies
1. Exp Ribavirin/
2. Ribavirin or riba or copegus or rebetol or ribasphere or vilona or virazole
3. 1 or 2
4. Exp Interferons/
5. interferon or IFN or pegylated Interferon or peg-IFN or roferon* or intron*or multiferon* or rebif* or avonex or cinnovex or betaferon or pegasys or repiferon or pegatron or rebetron or alferon or infergen or actimmune
6. 4 or 5
7. Exp Hepatitis C, Chronic/
8. (Chronic and (‘hepatitis C’ or ‘hep C’ or HCV)) or CHC
9. 8 or 7
10. Exp thalassemia/
11. Beta thalassemia or beta thalassemia major or inherited anemia or inherited hemolytic anemia or congenital hemolytic anemia
12. 10 or 11
13. 3 and 6 and 9 and 12